YAKIMA, Wash. -- Use of the wrong fuel in a kerosene heater is blamed for a fire that caused as much as $10,000 damage to a Yakima home Sunday afternoon, the Yakima Fire Department said.
The fire started when the heater burst into flames in the kitchen of the residence in the 1400 block of Willow Street shortly before 4 p.m., according to department Battalion Chief Tom Sevigny.
Sevigny said the homeowner was using lantern fuel in the heater that is more volatile than kerosene and tends to expand when heated.
The heater had just been refueled when the fire began.
Sevigny said firefighters arrived to find fire showing at the rear of the home and smoke billowing from the front door.
The occupants, who escaped without injury, will be staying with relatives.
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
